Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch will lead a sweeping review of Northwestern University and its beleaguered athletics department, university leaders announced Tuesday amid the fallout of a football hazing scandal that expanded to allegations of abuse and bullying on other teams and prompted multiple lawsuits.
A Northwestern news release says Lynch’s review will look at the culture of the athletics department as well as the university’s ability “to detect, report and respond to potential misconduct in its athletics programs, including hazing, bullying and discrimination of any kind.”
Lynch, who served as attorney general from 2015 to 2017 and is now in private practice, will provide regular updates to Northwestern President Michael Schill and the board of trustees’ audit and risk committee. The results of her review are expected to be made public, the release stated.
“I am determined that with the help of Attorney General Lynch, we will become a leader in combating the practice of hazing in intercollegiate athletics and a model for other universities,” Schill said in the release. “We will provide all of our students with the resources and support they need and do whatever is necessary to protect their safety and ensure that our athletics program remains one we can all be proud of.”
Northwestern’s hazing scandal first surfaced in early July, when the university released a summary of an outside investigation into allegations on the football team. At the time, Schill suspended head coach Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks. Three days later, after a bombshell story in The Daily Northwestern detailed a former player’s account of hazing, Schill removed Fitzgerald as head coach.
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Fitzgerald went on to hire former U.S. attorney Dan Webb, who previously told the Tribune that they were exploring a potential breach-of-contract claim against the university.
Since then, at least a half-dozen lawsuits have been filed against the university in the last two weeks, each accusing members of the football team of forcing teammates to perform nude and sexualized hazing rituals. Another pending lawsuit accuses head women’s volleyball coach Shane Davis of singling out a player for punishment.
Meanwhile, head baseball coach Jim Foster was dismissed amid accusations of bullying and abusive behavior on his part.
The university said it has already taken steps to eradicate hazing on its sports teams. Monitors have been assigned to the football locker room; all members of sports teams — including coaches and staff — are expected to take part in anti-hazing training beginning with the start of football training camp Thursday; and an online tool is in the works that will allow for reporting complaints of hazing, bullying or other misconduct.
“The Athletics Department welcomes this review as a critical tool in identifying the additional steps Northwestern can take to eradicate hazing,” athletic director Derrick Gragg said in the release. “By making the results of her review public, we hope our entire community will be better informed and guided as we all work to address this critical issue in college athletics.”
The scope of Lynch’s review appears to somewhat align with faculty demands made in the wake of the hazing scandal. Last month, more than 250 faculty members signed a letter to university administrators in which they called for greater transparency and accountability in the athletic department, as well as a pause in planning and marketing of the proposed $800 million Ryan Field rebuild, until “this crisis is satisfactorily resolved.”
”We share an interest in ensuring the future success of (Northwestern University) athletics, and in stellar facilities where our students can compete on the highest level,” the letter stated. “But disturbing evidence of harassment and abuse — and high-level efforts to minimize those problems — suggest that we need to get the existing house in order before expanding it.”
